Saga - OT Nine Down, One to Go (Tarot Trio Challenge, Rose Evergreen OCs)

Author: Findswoman
Title: Nine Down, One to Go
Era: Saga–OT (at some point before or about 10–11 BBY)
Characters: OCs: Glockel Sternenkranz (Human female from Nydringia), Telfien Viurraanvi (Gand female from Gand), R1-K4 “Rika” (feminine astromech), unnamed canon character mention
Genre: Sectional one-shot, light action/adventure, friendship
Summary: Glockel is almost done with a job when setbacks and frustrations ensue—and her Gand colleague, Telfien, is nowhere to be found…
Notes: Written for @Seldes_Katne ’s Tarot Trio Challenge, in which I requested a Head–Heart–Hand drawing with the Witch’s Tarot deck. My three cards were the Nine of Pentacles, the Five of Wands, and the Queen of Swords. See under the cut for the image of the cards and details provided by Seldes on their interpretation—to which I hope I’ve done justice!

Spoiler: My Cards

As mentioned above, keep in mind that the cards represent personality types, which can be displayed by a person of any gender or, depending on your characters, of no gender at all.

Head: Nine of Pentacles. Pentacles, or coins, represent material wealth or good health (or both). This card depicts a successful person, whose plans are almost complete. You have what you need for a good life, due in large part to your own hard work and talents. It can also suggest a time of solitude, either to enjoy what you have, or to consider what you want to do next.

Heart: Five of Wands. Wands represent tasks or projects; this particular card is a conflict card, as it shows five people fighting, either over the direction a group/individual should take, or over the leadership of the group, or over how to achieve goals. It could also mean the need to compete against others to get what you want.

Hand: Queen of Swords: Swords represent the Intellect. This card usually represents a woman (or someone who identifies as female) who is insightful and keenly perceptive, and who prefers to “go it alone.” This person can also be seen as cool (or cold) and mostly emotionless, although that might just be a front. Note the two blue jays and the bird depicted on the chair arm; intellect is sometimes represented by the element of Air. (That glowing thing near her feet appears to be a fairy of some sort, which would also represent Air.)

These are the basic meanings behind the cards, but you may see a detail that stands out for you, or the picture(s) may suggest something other than the standard interpretation. Use the card images as inspiration in any way you find useful. Let me know if you have questions.

The story is in three short sections, each of which corresponds to, and features the themes of, one of the cards I received (each of the four tarot suits has an analogue in one of the four regular playing card suits). Many thanks to @Raissa Baiard for help on early drafts and to @Kahara for beta reading.

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1. 9♦️

Sometimes Glockel Sternenkranz, independent retrieval agent and captain of the scout ship Rose Evergreen, thought about retiring.

Well, not really retiring. She was still young, and there was still so much of the Galaxy left to see. She liked the spacer life in general, she really did. But during times like these, with all the jobs and responsibilities and deadlines piling up and leaving her no time to breathe, she often found herself wondering—daydreaming? Fantasizing?—about what it would be like to simply not have any jobs, responsibilities, or deadlines anymore, to not have to be doing things and going places for other people all time. She was supposed to be an independent agent, after all!

Glockel found herself wondering (or daydreaming) these things more than ever now that she was almost at the end of the big job for the exiled sheyf of the Kiffar clan of Vos—a mysterious personage whom she had only met in holographic, hooded, vox-scrambled form. Of the ten ancient clan medallions she had been tasked with recovering for him, all belonging to past Vos sheyfs, only one remained, and Glockel knew exactly where it was—here on Rugosa, where the Rose Evergreen had touched down just a few hours before. The sheyf had promised Glockel a thousand credits for each medallion she retrieved. He had been so flippant about it, too, clearly not expecting her to be able to find them all. Why yes, Herr Vos, please do go ahead and underestimate me, she thought, grinning as she surveyed the nine medallions laid out before her on the small folding desk in her quarters. She picked one up and felt it. It was hefty, its metal crystalline-cool to the touch, and it was stamped with the encircled five-pointed star that was the emblem of Clan Vos.

Glockel prided herself on not being the sort of spacer who thought only about money—she was convinced that too many in her profession did, and that that was the primary reason spacers had the kind of reputation they did in the Galaxy. But as she sat there surveying her bright, shiny finds, it was not easy to resist thinking about what to do with the ten thousand credits she had been promised. A few basic ship repairs, for one thing: the port-side engine pylon had long been in need of a new power conduit, and some of the air filters required attention. But what she really had in mind was a nice, long vacation. She had heard Naboo was very beautiful. Their summertime (according to the Galactic time server) was coming soon, a time when the planet’s exquisite landscapes and gardens would be at their finest and when many galactically renowned festivals would be held. Or maybe she would go back to her homeworld of Nydringia for a bit, even if just for a tennight or so, to see again the cobbled streets, the half-timbered houses, and the forested seasides she remembered from her childhood. Or skiing in the mountains of Alderaan. She didn’t know yet. There were just too many possibilities!

What she did know, however, was that she wanted it to be by herself. Well, all right, Rika could come, too, since she was helpful to have about (and she could be easily switched off if needed). But other than her, Glockel intended this to be a completely solo trip. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Delphine—all right, Telfien, to give her real name—her Gand Findswoman friend who about two Standard months ago had joined her as her partner on the Rose Evergreen after escaping the Imperial invasion of her homeworld. On the contrary, Glockel considered her a good friend and an invaluable colleague, if (more than) a bit quirky at times. But it wasn’t always the easiest thing to share such a small ship even with a good friend—and especially with a good friend who breathed ammonia, smelled like ammonia, and was known to hie off into her quarters with minimal warning to meditate long hours on some crazy hunch from THE MISTS! when you needed her help rewiring relay circuits or reviewing navigational readouts. No doubt she was in there now; Glockel had not seen her since they had landed.

A sardonic thought crossed Glockel’s mind: Telfien was such a quirky loner, so off in her own little world—would she even notice if her Human partner went away for a few weeks…?

Oh well, it didn’t matter. Whatever Telfien was doing, Glockel knew exactly what she herself had to do. After carefully stacking up the nine medallions and locking them in the safe set into the wall beneath the foldout desk, she grabbed her dark green peacoat and matching cap from one storage locker, her supply bag from another, and her blaster from yet another one (just in case). Then, head high, she strode for the main hatch, confident that she would have a full set of Clan Vos medallions well before the end of the current planetary rotation.

* * *

2. 5♣️

Not a half hour later, Glockel arrived at the address her contact had given her. It was appropriate to the wealth she had heard this person possessed—a large, luxurious townhouse that seemed to be attached to the back of an equally luxurious high-rise apartment building. It had many windows, all lit from within but also all covered.

Glockel approached the front door and activated the chime. In a few moments the door opened to reveal an older-model but impeccably polished protocol droid that spoke in an equally polished female voice. “Greetings and welcome,” it said. “May I help you?”

“Yes, please. I am here to see Professor Morson Melrunbaum.”

“Your name, please?”

“Sternenkranz.”

The droid went immobile for a few seconds, apparently querying some kind of data record only it could see or access. “I am sorry, Myr Sternenkranz,” it finally said. “I do not see you in Professor Melrunbaum’s social calendar for today.”

Glockel sighed. This would happen, of course. “I have been in touch with him. He knows to expect me.”

“That is entirely believable,” replied the droid. “The professor is often… remiss about updating his social calendar. He is currently occupied with some other guests, but if you care to come inside and wait, I am sure he will be with you soon.”

“Sure, thanks.” Glockel sighed again as she said this. She had been hoping to get this whole operation done quickly—she was the sort who always liked to get things done quickly. But there was nothing else to be done.

“Right this way.” The protocol droid led her inside to a small but comfortable anteroom. It was furnished simply: there were a few chairs and settees of an antique style, a small table held a thermajug and various hot beverage accoutrements, and a potted plant stood in the corner—a single wooden trunk from which white flowers sprouted.

“Please make yourself at home, Myr Sternenkranz,” said the droid, gesturing to her to sit. “I do not think that Professor Melrunbaum will be long. In the meantime, please help yourself to tea, and please do not hesitate to inform me if there is anything you require.”

“Yes, ’course. Thanks.”

The droid toddled off, and Glockel seated herself onto one of the settees to wait—something she had never liked doing, especially when she didn’t have to (or felt she didn’t have to, which was very much the same thing). She busied herself by checking and not-really-reading the Spacer’s Holobulletin and the Collection Consortium H-Notes on her datapad.

After a few minutes of this, she became aware of a sound. It was a very quiet, muffled, indistinct, almost white-noise-like sound. Was the thermajug starting to boil? But she hadn’t activated it. Putting her datapad away, she looked about the room to try to find out where the sound might be coming from. At last, her eyes fell on something likely: on the far corner of the wall, behind the white-flowered potted plant, was a vent panel.

She went over to it and crouched down to listen. It was, indeed, the source of the sound, which she now could hear was the sound of voices—at least three of them, engaged in a heated argument.

“I told you, it’s off the table.”

“But Morson!”

“Don’t ‘but Morson’ me! I’ve already made arrangements, and it’s going to be very hard to break them.”

“Well, too bad! You’re going to have to!”

“Look—”

“You look! An artifact like this can’t just be entrusted to anyone! It needs to go to—”

“No, I think you are the one who doesn’t understand!” That was a third voice. “You are not definitely not the one it should go to. The only safe way is for him to keep it himself. He is blind if he does not see that!”

“But that’s the dilemma, you know. I can’t. It is not really mine to keep. It belongs to the clan and needs to be returned to the clan.”

“Ugh, the clan this, the clan that! You and your silly principles!”

“If I don’t have principles, what am I?”

“A dead duck, that’s what! Or worse, a prisoner of the—”

“That’s exactly why he needs to take my advice and let me keep it!” The second voice again. “I have not only the facilities, but also the knowhow! And the sensitivity!”

“Hah, that’s a good one!”

“I don’t need to sit here and be insulted by you!”

“Friends, friends!” Morson again. “Enough of this, I beg you! This bickering is getting us nowhere!”

“But think, man! Don’t you realize what you’re doing?!”

“He can’t! He’s too attached to his silly scruples! Just like you are!”

“Why you—”

On and on the argument went, in this vein. A dire realization came over Glockel as she listened. Sensitive artifact—clans—prisoner of something? They were talking about the Vos medallion, weren’t they? The very one she was supposed to be picking up this very morning—the one that would already be ensconced safely in her bag by now if things had gone the way they should? It would fit—in fact, it did fit, too well. Apparently this assignment was going to be harder than she thought. Glockel cursed to herself through gritted teeth. She had really been hoping for that vacation.

Just then she heard metallic footsteps approaching down the hallway. She returned to the settee just in time for the protocol droid to waddle back into the room.

“I am deeply regretful, Myr Sternenkranz,” it began, “but it appears as though Professor Melrunbaum is still engaged with his current visitors and is likely to remain so for some time. It seems the matter they are discussing is of great importance.”

“Well, look, I—” Glockel was hard pressed to contain her frustration. “I mean, what I was going to see him about was important, too”—especially with the old coot about to change his plans at any moment and throw all of mine into chaos—“and I’m only on this planet for another rotation, so—”

“Yes, I understand, completely.” The droid almost sounded as if it did; Glockel was rather impressed. “I would advise you to return around or after fifteen hundred, as the professor’s social calendar records no engagements beyond that point.”

Glockel grimaced. Not ideal, but it would have to do. “All right, I’ll do that.”

“Thank you, Myr Sternenkranz. I have recorded it in the calendar and shall expect you then. My deepest apologies once again for the inconvenience.”

“Think nothing of it,” was Glockel’s only reply as she turned on her heel and left the house.

* * *

3. Q♠️

After about an hour of beating around the city, and a quick lunch of tok-nut fried noodles at a vaguely appealing looking food cart, Glockel trudged back to the Rose Evergreen. She felt thoroughly frustrated and disappointed. What she had hoped might be a simple milk run, an easy win, had now turned into something much more time-consuming. If things had gone the way they should have, she would be in hyperspace on her way back to Herr Vos by now, not twiddling her thumbs here on Rugosa until fifteen hundred. Silly waste of time, that’s what it was! She made for the cockpit and had no sooner plunked down in her pilot’s chair than a familiar voice snapped her back to reality:

“Glockel Sternenkranz. There you are.”

Glockel swiveled around to see Telfien standing in the doorway with gloved hands clasped and head slightly bowed, in that way of hers that sometimes meant humility, sometimes meant she wanted something, and sometimes meant plain old awkwardness. Usually Telfien’s mannerisms were a source of mild amusement to Glockel, but not today. “There you are,” neh? she was very close to saying. Well, I could say the same thing to you, now that I’ve spent the whole morning running around like a decapitated nuna on a stupid, futile time sink of an errand, while you’ve been holed up MEDITATING and haven’t lifted a clawed, chitinous finger to help me…

She settled on a short, simple “Yes, here I am.”

Telfien sat in the copilot’s chair beside Glockel. “Please forgive Viurraanvi for intruding. She has been wondering where you have been.”

Ah, your MISTS didn’t tell you, after all that? “Just on an errand.” That was all she would get, for now.

“Telfien is glad you have returned. She has something for you.”

“Oh?” This ought to be rich…

“Yes. Here you are.”

Telfien opened one of her belt pouches and carefully removed a large, round object that she handed to Glockel. It was made of gleaming metal, thick and substantial, with a perfect five-pointed star stamped at its center.

The tenth Vos medallion.

Glockel felt its crystalline-cool surface, traced the stampwork with her fingers. It was the real thing—there was no doubt about that. The question, of course, was, “Whoa—what—how did you—”

“Telfien called on the professor early this morning, while he was out working in his herb garden, as is his wont. She must say that his Akivan lavender is quite impressive at this time of year. In any case, as soon as Telfien told him who she was and that she knew you, he invited her in and gave her this to bring back to you, with his compliments.”

“I see…” Glockel fidgeted uneasily with the medallion as her mind swirled with confusion, embarrassment, and many questions. “But, wait—if you got this from the professor—what was he talking to his guests about while I was there?”

“Please explain.”

“When I was at the professor’s house, I overheard him talking with some people who were trying to get him to hand over some kind of IMPORTANT CLAN ARTIFACT, and, well, I guess it wasn’t this… so, what was it?”

“No doubt he was referring to the historical beskad sword of Ogun Fett, also known as Mand’alor the Prestidigitator, which he acquired quite fortuitously at an estate sale on Taris. Professor Melrunbaum, that is, not Mand’alor the Prestidigitator,” she added hastily. “He mentioned it to Telfien during their conversation together.”

“Oh. Well, that’s a relief, I guess.”

“Indubitably.”

There was silence for a few moments. Glockel fidgeted with the medallion, still unsure what to say or think next. At last her biggest question came spilling out, almost unbidden. “Look, Delphine—just—why did you do all this? I would have gotten to it, you know.”

“To help you, Glockel Sternenkranz,” came the slightly quizzical but matter-of-fact answer.

“Okay, but…”

“Could you have known ahead of time that Professor Melrunbaum would be tied up with visitors most of the morning?”

“Well, no…”

“Telfien knew, because she saw it in the Mists when she was meditating during the hyperspace journey here.”

Glockel leaned over and gave Telfien a good-natured flick on the shoulder. “You could have just told me, you know.”

“When Telfien returned from the professor’s house, you were gone already.”

“But surely after you were done meditating?”

“Ah, at that time you were drinking your morning caf, and Telfien thought it best not to interrupt you.”

“All right, point.” Glockel couldn’t help but crack a sheepish smile. She had misjudged her shipmate. For all her grumbling to herself about Telfien’s secretive solitariness, there was no denying that today, everything Telfien had done—even those meditations of hers—had been to help her friend. Glockel extended her hand. “Thanks, Delphine. I really appreciate it.”

“You are most welcome, Glockel Sternenkranz,” Telfien responded, bowing her head as she reached over to touch Glockel’s fingers with her own gloved, tridactyl hand. “So, now, if you will pardon Viurraanvi’s inquisitiveness: where do you plan to go on your vacation?”

“Hey! How’d you—” Glockel sprang from her chair but seated herself again just as quickly. “You got that from the Mists, too, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” Telfien cocked her head and clacked quizzically. “From where else?”

“Where else, indeed.” Glockel couldn’t help but chuckle. “I haven’t decided yet. I figure I’d best get this job done first.”

“A wise plan. Incidentally, Telfien was considering a brief trip to Naboo for the same time.”

Glockel almost sprang up again. This was an interesting development, indeed. “Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. Telfien has always been curious about the summertime festival of Zeunuran, when the moonfire lotuses bloom.”

“Sounds like a lovely idea,” Glockel replied. And thank you, my friend, she added to herself, you just helped narrow down my choices. Looks like it’s between home and skiing, now. I can be grateful to you for helping me and still need time to myself!

With a smile on her face and a spring in her step, she went to her quarters and opened the safe, where she very carefully stacked the tenth Vos medallion atop its nine fellows. Herr Vos would be pleased—but not as pleased as she herself would be, once she got that ten thousand credits and began that long-awaited vacation.

fin

Spoiler: Notes—lots of ’em!

Zeunuran festival on Naboo, moonfire lotuses: Created by @Kahara for her story Illumination (part of her series Kaleidoscope Candles) and used with her kind permission.

Myr: Gender-neutral equivalent of “Mr.” or “Ms.” used by @Seldes_Katne in her story series The Mythologist and Notes from the Field. In contrast, Glockel, being kind of Space!German (specifically Space!North!German) uses Herr and Frau. (Her home planet, Nydringia, is my fanon creation and bears roughly the same relationship to North Germany and Germanic Northern Europe as Naboo bears to Italy.)

Beskad sword (yes, that ends with a d, not an r): https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Beskad

Professor Morson Melrunbaum, Ogun Fett aka Mand’alor the Prestidigitator, and the professor’s two unnamed interlocutors are all OCs. Ogun Fett is named for the Yoruba god of war.

“Herr Vos,” however, is not an OC, and you can probably guess who he is. Incidentally, a five-pointed star within a circle is a canon emblem of the Kiffar clan Vos—hence my transformation of the nine coins/pentacles into nine Clan Vos medallions.

No, I don’t have a specific identity in mind for the two unnamed interlocutors, and no, I also do not have exact details on the provenance of the sword of Mand’alor the Prestidigitator, though it is the kind of thing that certainly could be elaborated in a later story sometime.

Rugosa: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rugosa. Yes, it’s a “temperate coral moon,” but who says it can’t have a city or two as well? Given that rugosa ("wrinkly”) is also the name of a type of rose, I figured it was an apt destination for the Rose Evergreen.

Each of the three tarot suits that I received in my card layout appear in each of the three sections of the story. First, the Vos medallions are clearly the pentacles/coins. Second, the potted plant in the anteroom, described as a woody trunk with white flowers, represents the wands, often depicted as blooming staves or sticks in tarot art. Third is the mention of Ogun Fett’s beskad sword, corresponding to the suit of swords. You may find other references to the art on my cards throughout the story, too!

 

Thank you so much for the comment, @Seldes_Katne , and for running this wonderful and unique challenge! I really enjoyed writing for it and am even tempted to ask for another layout at some point…

Thanks! I’m glad to know I understood the spirit of the challenge, and I’m glad you enjoyed Glockel! This is one of the first stories centering around her that I’ve written in a while. I very much like the idea of her knowing Maz, who would definitely be a valuable ally and contact for the Rose Evergreen ladies—will definitely keep that in mind for the future!

Ah, yes, I admit the wand was a bit hidden. It’s the potted plant in the anteroom of Prof. Melrunbaum’s house, which looks like a woody trunk with white flowers growing out of it, behind which the telltale vent is hidden through which Glockel can hear the conversation. And now you know why I was asking about the lavender that time! Lavender is a favorite herb and scent of mine, so it was fun to see it featured so prominently in one of my cards.

She did, indeed, as she mentions at the end!

Same here! There’s nothing like a good beach. I hope you’ll be able to go back to Salem again—I was there as a teenager on a New England trip with my mom. I’d love to get back to New England again someday.

Hey, that speaker might very well have agreed with that quote!

Yes, indeed!

Definitely do! It’s absolutely gorgeous. @Kahara ’s a wonderful writer, as well as a very good friend!

She definitely shall, because, if I do say so myself, it will be very well deserved!

Many thanks again, both for the awesome comment and the awesome challenge! Always wonderful to see you and your work, of all types, here on these boards!

 

Took me way too long to write these, for which I apologize! Thank you as always for the super-awesome comment.

Oh, thank you so much! I’m so glad it to hear it all came together effectively for you—this was a very different (but good) kind of challenge for me, precisely because it had all those levels and elements to pack in. And thank you for this awesome comment; I’m just sorry it took me so long to get around to answering it!

Oh yes, I’m sure that this kind of mundane hunting around and errand running accounts for about 9/10 of the spacer life, whether that spacer is Glockel or Han or whoever else. Glockel is a very practical type, but as you point out, Telfien is very much the opposite, and that contrast is bound to run the two of them into some tension in the early days of their work together.

Full disclosure: I often daydream about this exact same thing mysel, because my own days here on earth often feel very much the same way!

Yep, no great mystery hear at all (nor was there meant to be)! I actually need to read more about him too, but he is definitely good to pull in if you need a Jedi-in-hiding type during the Imperial era or so.

She really is a softie under the brusque, matter-of-fact exterior—or else she wouldn’t have ended up with first one friend and then three more living with her on her ship! But that’s exactly why she does have to keep an eye to her finances and fuel levels (more than) every now and then!

Oh yes, I feel for her, too! I’m not sure how I’d do in a situation like this, either. That kind of careful vetting most certainly does not happen in the ad-hoc, semi-improvised roommate situations that seem to come up so often in the GFFA, as you note (I’m sure even the Ghost crew needed a break from each other sometimes).

HAH! Yes, probably so!

For sure! This is another characteristic I share with her.

Yes, this is not a moment that inspires confidence for her in terms of completing her mission! Time wasted is bad enough; time wasted because of irrational, unnecessary bickering is even worse.

That is indeed a pretty spot-on summary of her character! Glockel is indeed still getting used to having her around and still figuring her out in some ways, but she’s getting there. Some of the awkwardness is of course owing to the difference in species and culture, but some of it really is just plain brand-xesh awkwardness, too.

Yes, she’s not the sort of person who is often at a loss for words, but I figure this is the kind of moment that would do it!

Yep, as did I when I first saw the Queen of Swords card, as she’s holding a big bunch of it! One of my favorite scents.

Estate sales ROCK! You really do never know what you’ll find! I definitely wouldn’t want to volunteer for that particular trick either, but you know Mandalorians—I’m sure many of them were clamoring for it! (The same Mand’alor, as you have found out, became a much-loved ruler of his people, and not just because of cool conjuring tricks.)

Yes, she’s reasonable in the end, even if she can be a bit brusque and impatient along the way.

Same here, absolutely same here! And now I am hoping to be able to write about that very experience sometime—perhaps an OC or Fanon Festivals challenge of some sort!

Good point, very good point! That is indeed one of the attributes of the Queen of Swords, and while you’re right that Telfien was the one I mostly had in mind to represent that image, it fits Glockel at this point in a way, too. We all need time apart sometimes, and that doesn’t keep us from still being able to be close to our friends and loved ones.

You’re very welcome, more than happy to oblige, especially given what a rich prompt this was in terms of color, symbolism, and various meanings! (I almost want to ask Seldes for another!) And rereadability because of it—wow, that is the ultimate compliment—thank you so much once again. I most definitely endeavor to give satisfaction!

 

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoy her—she’s a lot of fun to write!

 

Shall definitely keep it under consideration!